1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit (IC) and an information signal processing apparatus, and more specifically, it relates to an IC and the like suitable for being well applied to an apparatus for performing conversion of a format of, for example, an image signal, conversion of a scaling factor of an image, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Format conversion has conventionally been proposed by which, for example, a Standard Definition (SD) signal referred to as a 525i signal is converted into a High Definition (HD) signal referred to as a 1050i signal. The 525i signal refers to an interlaced image signal containing 525 lines, while the 1050i signal refers to an interlaced image signal containing 1050 lines.
FIG. 1 shows a relationship in pixel position between the 525i signal and the 1050i signal. In the figure, a large dot indicates a pixel of the 525i signal and a small dot indicates a pixel of the 1050i signal. Further, a pixel position of odd-numbered fields is indicated by a solid line and a pixel position of even-numbered fields is indicated by a broken line. To convert the 525i signal into the 1050i signal, it is necessary to obtain four pixels of the 1050i signal each corresponding to one pixel of the 525i signal in each of odd-numbered and even-numbered fields.
For example, an image signal processing apparatus is conventionally known which utilizes class grouping adaptive processing to convert the 525i signal into the 1050i signal (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-218413). That is, this processing apparatus generates pixel data of a target position in the 1050i signal according to an estimation equation using coefficient data that corresponds to a class to which the pixel data of this target position belongs.
For example, one piece of Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuit may constitute the image signal processing apparatus. In this case, however, a circuit scale increases and also man-hour requirements in design also increase, to deteriorate a yield in manufacturing and increase a unit cost of the LSI.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an Integrated Circuit (IC) that can be also applied to multiple circuit portions and that has no large circuit scale so as to include multiple circuit portions, thereby allowing the IC to be manufactured stably. It is another object of the present invention to provide an information signal processing apparatus that can be configured inexpensively.